This invention relates generally to automotive vehicles having a console-mounted transmission shifter and a floor-mounted hand-operated parking brake and, more particularly, to a common console mounting for the transmission shifter and parking brake.
All automotive vehicles incorporate a parking brake. In some vehicles the parking brake is foot operated by a lever mounted to the left of the steering wheel beneath the instrument panel. In other vehicles, usually those with bucket seats, the parking brake is operated by a hand lever mounted to the right of the driver's seat on the vehicle floorboard. Both foot-operated and hand-operated actuators can optionally incorporate a slack take-up feature.
All such vehicles also have a transmission shift lever for operating an automatic or manual transmission. Some automatic transmission shift levers are mounted on the vehicle's steering column, especially if the vehicle is equipped with bench seats. In other vehicles, the automatic transmission shift lever is centrally mounted in a console located between the driver's seat and the front passenger's seat. In most vehicles equipped with a manual transmission, the driver's and the front seat passenger's seats are split, and the transmission shift lever is mounted between the seats, frequently in a console.
For a variety of reasons, today's vehicles are much more compact than previously and ergonomics of all controls are important. For drivers' convenience, it is desirable to mount the parking brake actuator operating lever alongside the gearshift operating lever to allow a rapid sequential operation of both controls. This is particularly important in Europe, where it is customary to apply the parking brake whenever the vehicle is stopped, such as at a stop sign or traffic light.
In many vehicles, both the transmission shifter and the parking brake actuator are console-mounted. This console usually has a single decorative cover housing that is fitted over both the parking brake actuator and the transmission shifter levers, which project through openings in the housing. For cosmetic reasons, to mask the mechanisms, these openings are no larger than necessary to enable full operation of both levers.
In conventional practice the transmission shifter and the parking brake actuator are separately mounted to the vehicle structure, usually the floorboard. Since application and release of the parking brake involves substantial forces, the parking brake actuator is normally hard mounted to the vehicle structure. In contrast, the transmission shifter is usually soft mounted to the vehicle structure to isolate the passenger compartment from engine vibrations. Also, many vehicles having a console-mounted handbrake offer the option of a manual or automatic transmission, which can require different mountings for each.
The shifter and the parking brake actuator occupy a varying spatial relationship when installed. This is caused by their separate mountings, and results from dimensional tolerances, manufacturing variations, and assembly build variances. As a result, both operating levers rarely are perfectly aligned with their cover housing openings upon assembly. Curing this misfit requires a reworking of any or all of the shifter, parking brake actuator or console housing mountings if there is sufficient misalignment. Such reworking must be accomplished off-line, is expensive and time-consuming, and severely impacts vehicle assembly efficiency.
It would be desirable to provide a mounting for a transmission shifter and a parking brake actuator in a console which provides a fixed spatial relationship of the shifter and actuator to assure alignment of their operating levers with openings in a cover housing.
It would also be desirable to provide a common console mounting bracket for both a parking brake actuator and a transmission shifter which enables both hard mounting of the parking brake actuator and soft mounting of the shifter.
It would be further desirable to provide a common console mounting bracket for a parking brake actuator and a transmission shifter which enables the optional use with either manual or automatic shifters and with parking brake actuators which do and do not incorporate a slack take-up feature.